Whole Wheat Stuffed Kulche

What is the difference between Aloo Kulcha and Aloo Paratha? Kulcha is roasted on a griddle or baked in a hot oven or tandoor unlike paratha which is pan fried in ghee or oil. Although we love aloo parathas with chilled yogurt, my husband enjoys hot baked kulcha with chole too. When the recipe to make is easy and fuss-free, making delicious food at home is fun and healthy.

Three years back I published a post on my experience and recipe on Amritsari Kulcha which was loved by lot of people. I had experienced an overwhelming response on the recipe and comments and kulcha pictures filled my Facebook page. Thank you all for your likes, pictures, and pinning the recipe on Pinterest. It was my attempt to create tandoori kulcha in my convection oven, and I feel happy to have succeeded in my experiment. :)

I know many of you have written to me and asked me if you could use whole wheat flour in kulcha instead of all-purpose flour. I would say yes, totally, and here are the pictures.

Check out my recipe of Amritsari Kulche 

I used the same recipe substituting all purpose flour for organic whole-wheat flour.

Ingredients:
To make 6 Kulchas:
2 cups organic whole wheat flour (I use 24 Mantra organic flour)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ghee
1/2 cup plain yogurt/ dahi

For the filling
2 large potatoes (boiled)
salt to taste
lime juice
Chopped green chilies (to your spice level)
1 tsp. garam masala powder
1 tsp. grated ginger 

To garnish kulcha
2 tbsp. coarsely ground coriander seeds
Chopped cilantro
Red chilli powder

• Mix 2 cups flour with 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. ghee and 1/2 cup plain yogurt/ dahi. Use some water (if needed) to make a soft dough. (You could substitute wheat flour for all purpose flour too.) 
• Remove the dough on a clean, flat surface. Knead the dough well. If the dough feel sticky, do not worry. As you work the dough, it tends to get less sticky. You could also divide the dough into 2 parts and knead each part separately. Make a soft ball of a well kneaded dough and set it aside covered for 20-25 minutes.  
• Boil 2 large potatoes. Cool and peel them. Add 1 tsp. salt, lime juice, chopped green chillies (to taste), 1 tsp. garam masala powder, and 1 tsp. grated ginger. Mix well and keep the filling aside 
• Divide your well rested kulcha dough into 6 equal parts.
• Grease the dough with some ghee or oil and flatten it. You could use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 3-4 inch diameter.
• Place 1 part of potato filling on the dough. Bring the sides together. Press them well to fuse it well. Make a smooth ball. Use your fingers to flatten it gently. You could also use a rolling pin the roll the stuffed dough. Roll the dough to form a even 6-7 inch flat bread/kulcha.  
• Sprinkle some ground coriander seeds and press them in well. Sprinkle some cilantro and chilli powder too.
• Preheat the oven to 500F temperature or the highest temperature on your convection oven. I also like to use baking stone/pizza stone to bake them evenly. You could use regular baking sheet too. Always preheat baking stone for 15 minutes.
• Gently place each kulcha on the hot baking stone. Bake kulchas for 5-6 minutes (or till they turn golden brown) on 500F temperature. The key is to create Tandoor like temperature and to cook them on high heat. This will make the kulchas cook evenly but yet remain soft. Slow baking will make the kulchas hard and crisp.
• Remove when done and apply some butter or ghee. 
• Serve with sliced onions and hot, spicy Chole or your favorite curry or just chilled yogurt.

 Here are few pictures of Whole wheat Kulchas.

Check out my Chole recipe

Enjoy Whole Wheat Healthy Kulche!

Pull-Apart Masala Bread

Pull apart bread is everywhere on Facebook videos. Pull apart cheesy garlic bread is something that I had seen and found very interesting. This recipe is definitely inspired from those videos. You all know I enjoy baking, and baking crusty bread is super fun and easy. Incorporating my love for Mumbai street food in the recipe, I tried my hands on Pull-Apart Masala Pav. 

Masala Pav, makes me nostalgic... an oversized cast iron griddle to cook veggies and super soft pav bread lathered with butter is stuffed with veggies and spices. Masala Pav is a perfect food that is delicious and filling specially for Mumbai commuters and young college students.

My husband has been following and watching cricket matches on TV, and I thought this is an amazing game recipe (appetizer or dinner) where we just sit back and enjoy Virat Kohli's new captainship in the cricket match. :) You can make this while you watch your favorite game or a movie.

Recipe for Crusty Bread (Click here to check my recipe from before)

Ingredients

1+1/4 cup water

2 tbsp. sugar
1 pack yeast
3 cups all purpose flour/maida
Extra flour for kneading the dough
1 tsp. Salt

• Start with 1 1/4 cup warm water (100F) in a large bowl. Add 1 packet Yeast, (2 1/4 tsp.) and 2 tbsp. sugar. Mix and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes.
• 1 tsp. salt and 3 cups all-purpose flour.
• Mix together to make a sticky dough.
• Lightly dust your clean counter. Empty the dough and knead it for 8-10 minutes. This is the most important stage to develop gluten, and make the dough elastic. It is okay to use around 1/4 cup flour while kneading (if needed).
• Keep the dough in a greased large bowl. Cover and let it rest for an hour.
• Knead the dough again for 7-8 minutes.
• Make a dough ball and leave it aside. You could use a baking tray or a pizza stone to bake the bread. If using baking tray, grease and dust the tray and place the log of dough in it. Dust it well on the top. Cover with a dry napkin or cloth and let it rise for 45 minutes. If baking on a pizza stone, preheat the pizza stone too.I used cast iron skillet to bake crusty bread. So I left the dough ball in it to proof.
• Place a big metal pan in the oven under the baking pan. 
• Preheat oven to 450F
• Place the cast iron skillet in the oven.
• Pour 4 cups of hot water into the metal pan that was placed under the baking shelf. be careful as the metal pan is hot and might create bubbling and steam. 
• Immediately close the oven door.
• Bake the bread for 40 to  50 minutes or till you get a beautiful even color and crust. Baking time may vary depending on the amount of dough and shape of the bread.
• Remove bread on a wire rack and let it cool.

To make Masala stuffing: Check my Masala Pav Recipe

2 Tbsp. butter

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped bell pepper

1 cup green peas

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. minced garlic

2 tbsp. pav bhaji masala

2 tbsp. lime/lemon juice

Grated cheese of your choice

To garnish:

2-3 tbsp. chopped onions

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

• Heat butter in a pan.
• Saute onions till soft. Add bell pepper and green peas and saute for 3-4 minutes.
• Add chopped tomatoes and minced garlic.
• Cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Add salt and pav bhaji masala. Mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and add lime juice. Let the veggie mixture cool.

To assemble pull -apart bread:

• Make horizontal and vertical cuts into the bread leaving the base intact.
• Stuff the cuts (in between the squares) with veggie mixture and grated cheese.
• Add grated cheese on the top of the bread loaf too.
• Bake in 350F preheated over for 15 minutes.
• As it comes out of the oven, garnish with chopped onions and cilantro.
• Serve and enjoy this pull-apart bread!

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Make the bread dough and leave it in a greased pan for an hour to proof.

A well risen bread dough.

Baked bread dough. Beautiful color and crusty texture.
Let the bread cool well.

Heat butter in a pan.
Saute onions till soft. Add bell pepper and green peas and saute for 3-4 minutes.
Add chopped tomatoes and minced garlic.
Cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add salt and pav bhaji masala. Mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add lime juice. Let the veggie masala cool.

Make horizontal and vertical cuts into the bread leaving the base intact.

Stuff the cuts (in between the squares) with veggie masala and grated cheese.

Add grated cheese on the top of the bread loaf too.

Bake in 350F preheated over for 15 minutes.

As it comes out of the oven, garnish with chopped onions and cilantro.

Serve and enjoy this pull-apart bread!

Enjoy the Game!!!

Rustic Tikhat Pav Bread

Misal with Pav is not a new concept. In fact beans and carbs go really well to form a balance diet that can be nutritious and filling. In my attempt to included protein to my vegetarian diet, beans work wonders. And in this cold winter climate, spicy Misal curry is just delicious. Went to gym on Sunday (which is very unusual for me)... with a great workout of cardio and weights. And then a healthy lunch of protein rich mixed bean misal. Being a Sunday I planned to bake fresh pav to go with Misal. Baking, probably you might feel is too tedious of a work to do... but believe me, it is work for yeast and not for you. It is just some preparation that is needed, and while yeast does the rising process, you could multitask with a trip to grocery store or workout at the gym or just sit back and relax. Baking is not tedious, plus with the delicious end result... it is totally worth it.

Misal is a spicy bean curry and is accompanied by Mumbai Laadi Pav Bread (click for the recipe). But this time I made some rustic bread using claypot lined with banana leaf from our backyard. Banana lead is a part of our culture. Banana leaf is used for cooking as well as for serving. It is rustic as well as appealing to our eyes. This pav bread is also incorporated with the spices that I use for cooking Misal. Tikhat in Marathi means spicy and hot. I added hot spices (onion and garlic masala) from the recipe into the pav bread dough to match with theis Maharashtiran curry. It pairs really well and is fun too.

Ingredients (10-12 claypot pavs) Check my Pav Bread recipe for pictures and videos.

1+1/4 cup water

2 tbsp. sugar
1 pack yeast (2+1/4 tsp.)
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 cups all purpose flour/maida
Extra flour for kneading the dough
1 tsp. Salt 

3-4 tbsp. Onion Garlic Masala (Kanda Lasoon Masala)
Slightly more butter or oil spray for greasing and dusting the pan or pots.

• Start with 1+1/4 cup warm water (100F) in a large bowl. Add 1 packet Yeast, (2+1/4 tsp.) and 2 tbsp. sugar. Mix and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes.
• Add 3 tbsp. melted unsalted butter, 1 tsp. salt and 3 cups all-purpose flour.
• Mix together to make a sticky dough.
• Lightly dust your clean counter. Empty the dough and knead it for 8-10 minutes. This is the most important stage to develop gluten, and make the dough elastic. It is okay to use around 1/4 cup flour while kneading (if needed).
• Keep the dough in a greased large bowl. Cover and let it rest for an hour.
• Use a tray or baking box 9"X13" to arrange and bake pav breads. Grease and dust it with flour.
• After an hour the dough should have doubled in size. Knead the dough again for 8-10 minutes. Mix onion and garlic masala to it and knead it to mix well. Divide into 10-12 parts, and make balls to place in greased clay pots lined with greased banana leaf.
• Leave it aside or keep in slightly warm oven to let the dough proof for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• (It is okay to keep it a little longer too. Maximum 1 1/2 hour.)
• Proofing is the process just before baking. The dough is allowed to rest to double in size.
• Bake in a 450F preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or till they get lightly browned.
• When you first remove the pav from the oven they might feel hard on the top. Do not worry. They will be super soft as they cool down.
• Remove and let them rest on a cooling rack.
• Let the pav bread completely cool on the rack. Serve with the clay pot. Let the person eating remove pav from the pot and enjoy with misal.  

Ingredients to make Misal for 4-5 people. (Click here for my mixed sprout misal recipe)

1/4 cup of each bean. This time I used moong, methi, brown chana, and soybeans (You can use any beans of your choice: matki, white peas, rajma, green chana, brown chana, green peas, methi, moong)

1 cup chopped onion

2 tbsp. oil

1 tbsp. onion and garlic powder

4-5 chopped tomatoes

1-2 tbsp of misal powder or garam masala powder

Salt to taste  

To make rassa or tarra (optional) This is to add spice and shine to the misal.

1 tbsp. oil

2-3 tbsp. onion and garlic powder

Water

Salt to taste

To Serve

Chopped onions

Misal farsan

Plain yogurt (dahi) or plain Greek yogurt.

Freshly chopped cilantro

• Soak dried beans and peas overnight or for 6-8 hours.
• Add some salt and turmeric powder and enough water to soak all the beans and pressure cook soaked beans in water until you hear 2-3 whistles.
• We will use this water for Misal to not waste the dissolved nutrients.
• In a heavy bottom pan, saute finely chopped onions in 2 tbsp. of oil till they soften.
• Add 1 tbsp of onion garlic masala. Fry for 2-3 minutes
• Add finely chopped tomatoes. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes till tomatoes get soft and mushy.
• To the onion and tomato gravy, add 2 tbsp. of misal powder or garam masala and salt
• Add boiled beans with left water. Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

To make Rassa or Tarra:

In a tbsp of oil, fry 2tbsps. of onion and garlic powder and 1 tbsp of red chilli powder for 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cup of water and pinch of salt and bring it to boil.

To serve:

Pour some misal into a bowl. Add some rassa over it. Serve with Dahi, Chopped onion, and farsan mixture.

Here is step by step pictorial recipe:

 Mix onion and garlic masala to pav dough and knead it to mix well. Divide into 10-12 parts, and make balls to place in greased clay pots lined with greased banana leaf.

Leave it aside or keep in slightly 90-100 F warm oven to let the dough proof for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

(It is okay to keep it a little longer too. Maximum 1 1/2 hour.)

Proofing is the process just before baking. The dough is allowed to rest to double in size.

Here is my misal cooked in claypot.

I used soaked moong, methi, brown chana, and soybeans.

All soaked overnight and pressure cooked.

Bake in a 450F preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or till they get lightly browned.

Let the pav bread completely cool on the rack. Serve with the clay pot. Let the person eating remove pav from the pot and enjoy with misal.  

Enjoy Flavorful Pav with Misal Curry!